Seven Softball Players Earn All-Ivy League Status

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Following another strong season,
the Harvard softball team yielded seven All-Ivy League selections,
the conference announced Tuesday. The Crimson saw three players
earn first-team status, two players earn second-team status and
another pair earn honorable mention.

For the fourth time in her career, third baseman Kasey Lange was
a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection. The senior slugger
led the Crimson in batting average (.353), RBI (29) and home runs
(6), and was also among the league leaders in those categories.
Lange graduates as one of the most decorated players in Harvard
softball history, as she has or shares the program lead in career
slugging percentage, stolen base percentage, doubles, home runs,
total bases and RBI. Lange started her career at Harvard with an
Ivy Rookie of the Year award, and garnered six Player of the Week
awards in her time at Harvard.

Junior pitcher Laura Ricciardone earned the third All-Ivy nod of
her career, and garnered first-team accolades for the first time
following a stellar season in the circle. Ricciardone led all Ivy
pitchers with a 1.53 earned-run average and six shutouts, and tied
for the league lead with 18 wins on the season. In league action,
Ricciardone was even tougher to score against, boasting a
league-best 0.84 ERA while pitching the second-most league innings
of any Ivy pitcher.

Junior Katherine Lantz was the third Harvard player to earn
first-team honors, as she garnered her second All-Ivy accolade and
first, first-team nod. The second baseman came on strong down the
stretch for the Crimson, collecting at least one hit in her final
nine league games, amassing three doubles and five RBI over that
span. She finished the season ranked third on the team in
batting average (.326), RBI (22) and hits (43) and led all Harvard
players with 12 doubles on the year.

Juniors Emily Gusse and Andrea Del Conte garnered second-team
status, with Gusse earning her second All-Ivy nod and Del Conte her
first. Gusse anchored the Crimson infield, playing all 44 games at
shortstop and committing just seven errors on the season for a .951
fielding percentage. She also proved to be a valuable run-producer,
finishing second on the team in RBI (24) and home runs (four). Del
Conte had a strong batting average at .314 on the season, and led
the charge for top base-stealing team in the league, swiping a
team-best 17 bases.

Senior captain Shelbi Olson received an honorable mention nod,
good for the third league honor of her career. She led all Harvard
players with 50 hits on the year, finished second on the team with
a .329 batting average and also placed second with 15 stolen bases.
Junior Adrienne Hume rounded out the Harvard selections with an
honorable mention nod, as one of four Harvard players with at least
20 RBI on the season (21). She also played solid first base,
committing just four errors on the season and boasting a .989 field
percentage.